Otoe-Missouria Police Department Awarded Grant to Help Prevent Targeted Violence and Terrorism

By Otoe-Missouria Public Affairs

Recently, the Otoe-Missouria Police Department was awarded $359,536 through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2024. According to a press release from DHS, the “TVTP Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants to develop sustainable, multidisciplinary targeted violence and terrorism prevention capabilities in local communities, to pilot innovative prevention approaches, and to identify prevention best practices that can be replicated in communities across the country.”

Otoe-Missouria Chief of Police Jennings Gabriele says there is a growing need for programs that tackle domestic extremism.

“According to the 2022 FBI annual report on domestic terrorism,” says Gabriele, “the number of hate crime incidents and domestic terrorism cases has been on the rise, reflecting an increased need for programs that can address these issues effectively.”

The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey reports that from 2005-2019, Native Americans had the highest rate of violent hate crime victimizations.

“Native American communities have been disproportionately affected by violent extremism and hate crimes,” says Gabriele. “A report by the National Congress of American Indians highlighted that Native Americans are often targeted at higher rates compared to other ethnic groups, which underscores the need for targeted interventions like those proposed by the Otoe-Missouria Police Department.”

The grants were designed to prioritize targeted violence and terrorism prevention in underserved communities. This year, the TVTP Grant Program received 39 applications from organization that work or proposed to work with underserved communities. Of those applicants, eight grants were approved. The Otoe-Missouria Tribe was the only tribe that was approved for funding.

“The project will address the challenges posed by online targeted violence and domestic violent extremism through a robust suite of preventative measures,” Gabriele says. “This initiative focuses on combating radicalization and preventing racial violence, including potential active shooter situations among Native American youths.”

“In our current dynamic threat environment, any town, anywhere can be a target,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in the DHS release. “The Department of Homeland Security’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant awards announced today will help local communities pilot, strengthen, and share evidence-based prevention strategies, significantly expanding our nation’s counterterrorism capacity and making all of us safer.”

Launched in 2020, the TVTP program, administered by the DHS CP3 and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is the only federal grant program solely dedicated to helping local communities develop and strengthen their targeted violence and terrorism prevention capabilities in this area. DHS awarded nearly $90 million via 178 awards to organizations working to prevent violence in 41 states plus the District of Columbia.